Slovenian painter and teacher, active in Germany. He trained in
Ljubljana with the Slovenian painter Janez Wolf (1825–84), who
taught him in a style derived from Anselm Feuerbach and the work of
the Nazarenes and emphasized the ethical ideals and role of art.
Azbe studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna (1882–4),
and at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Munich (1884–91), where he
became an excellent draughtsman, especially with nudes and portrait
heads. In the spring of 1891 he opened his own private school, the
Azbè-Schule, which established a reputation. From 1898 to 1901 Igor’
Grabar’ joined him as a teacher there. Its students included the
Slovenian Impressionists Matija Jama (b 1872), Rihard Jakopic and
Matej Sternen (b 1870), the Serbian Nadezda Petrovic, the Croatian
Josip Racic (1885–1909) and the Czech Ludvík Kuba, as well as Vasily
Kandinsky and Alexei Jawlenski. He was looked on as an infallible
and tolerant teacher, but his own painting was restricted by his
teaching duties and his bohemian way of life, much of it spent in
the Dichtelei and Simplicissimus cafés in the Schwabing district of
Munich. In his own works and in his teaching he promoted the use of
unmixed colours, applied directly on to the canvas. His drawings
(e.g. Portrait of a Bavarian, 1890; Ljubljana, N.G.) and such
paintings as Negro Woman (1895; Ljubljana, N.G.) adhere to his
Realist doctrine, while In the Harem (after 1900; Ljubljana, N.G.)
shows greater ease, using strong, colourful brushstrokes. Azbe was
greatly influenced by the emphasis within the artistic circle in
Munich on Realism in portraits and genre paintings and by an
interest in representational problems that also stimulated the
artists of the Secession.

Half nude woman

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